Passer-by rescues couple from fire

Published: May 16, 2008 | 7066th good news item since 2003

AN UNNAMED hero rescued a couple from a flat fire – and then disappeared without giving his name.

The man, who is thought to be in his mid twenties, raised the alarm and then set about trying to tackle the fire, with a jug he kept refilling with water.

Fire fighters called to the scene – Glentworth House, Netherfields, Middlesbrough – gave the man oxygen after he breathed in smoke while fighting the blaze which broke out in the 11th floor flat sometime after 5 am today.

The young couple, who did not have smoke alarms fitted, had fallen asleep with a chip pan burning on the cooker.

Marty Challenor, a crew manager with Cleveland Fire Brigade, suspects the couple’s rescuer lives in the block of flats and was passing by when he spotted the fire.

Mr Challenor said: “Obviously, the couple were very lucky he was there to raise the alarm. It could have got a lot worse. He did a great job. He raised the alarm and tackled the fire.”

He added: “The occupants of the flat did not have smoke alarms and had left on a chip pan unattended. Smoke alarms would have given them a lot of early warning. I can’t stress enough the dangers of leaving pans unattended and not having smoke alarms.”

The blaze severely damaged the kitchen and filled the remainder of the flat with smoke.

Cleveland Fire Brigade are carrying out fire safety inspections across the brigade area in a bid to cut down the number of house fires. Mr Challenor said: “We are doing our best, but unfortunately we still get fires at the end of the day.”